David Thorpe loves Barnes: check out the podcast toward the bottom left on ESPN (starts around 8:00 in). "Paul Pierce type player ... better body ... understanding of how to use his size to get shots off ... stud forward ... great all-star potential" Also touted Barnes's footwork though, which to me is suspect. Said he's better in the post now than Lebron was prior to this year. And said he expects Barnes to be able to "get a whole bunch of dunks early in his career" because the paint in the NBA will be less clogged than it was in college (more spacing). Says Bogut and Lee inside will let Barnes run, won't need to be inside as much. Says that with Curry and Thompson able to light it up from outside, Barnes should have a lot of space to drive; teams won't be able to plant people in the paint specifically to prevent the drive, which Barnes will be able to take advantage of.

Chad Ford gave our draft an A- and had this to say about Barnes: "I think he has the Danny Granger-esque potential and alongside Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson gives the Warriors some serious firepower from the perimeter." Ford also seems very high on Green: "I thought Green was one of the most underrated players in the draft. He's not sexy, but he's very efficient, can play two positions and does a lot of the little things that matter. I think he'll have a long, Shane Battier-like career in the NBA." That's the second analyst to compare Green to Battier.

I'm listening to that audio right now Dark one and that guy likes Barnes alot. I can see the Paul Pierce comparison and nice that is. Most analysts seem to see Barnes as quite a bit more of an offensive player, though a very good one most think, than defensive player. Barnes fits and that's huge.

You know, I don't watch a lot of college basketball. To be honest I don't watch ANY college basketball so I try not to comment too much, but someone who does can correct me if I'm wrong. I saw that Barnes measured off the charts at the combine, but from what I see in some of the videos I've watched, he's not athletic.

Ain't nobody here tryna start an internet argument with you. I admittedly said I don't watch college hoops and invited someone to tell me wussup.

And just because someone is strong don't mean he's athletic. It just makes him strong. Athleticism is a combination of physical attributes. To me at least. I'm not gonna sit here and argue what athleticism is, because shiet, I didn't know there was much room for an argument.

So I watched both highlights of those games and it looks like he can take advantage of mismatches an he does uses his length and leaping ability to gather up boards. I also see that he's much more of a finesse player on the offensive side of the ball which is koo too. I'm particularly impressed by how he brought his team back from however much they were down and literally took over the game and won it in overtime. I wished I would've watched some of these highlights before I doubted any of his abilities, but ****, you ain't gotta be a douche about it.

Neither do you. I'm glad you checked him out further. Next time, if you're gonna fully admit you haven't seen him yet, maybe you shouldn't disagree so loudly with someone who has. Nobody was being a dick to you until you threw my explanations back at me. Like I said, it's all opinion, I'm sure you're not sweating mine, and I doubt this little shouting match on the web is gonna go much further. Good job checking out Barnes. I don't think we have anything to bitch about anymore.

It’s not every day that we get to watch a potential top 5 draft pick train for the NBA draft in front of our own eyes for an hour and a half, and it was immediately evident to us why (he) is held in such high regard.

In terms of physical attributes, there is no doubt that (he) is the absolute prototype for what a modern day NBA wing should look and move like. He is every bit the 6-9 he is listed at, but possesses the type of wingspan that you’d normally expect from a 6-11 power forward. His hands are huge and his are fingertips freakishly long. He has an excellent frame and looks to have already added a bit of weight to it in the few weeks he’s been here preparing for the draft.

As far as his athleticism goes, (he) came “as advertised,” executing a few moves in the workout that only a select number of current NBA players can. He runs the floor fluidly, like a 6-3 guard, elevates gracefully and instantly off the floor, and has an incredibly smooth vertical leap.

In terms of skills, there wasn’t anything that could be hidden in this type of setting due to the nature of the drills they were put through. (He) got his shot off whenever he pleased thanks to the terrific separation he can create at any point in time from his defender, and looked absolutely terrific pulling up from mid-range. He not only elevates instantaneously off the floor to create space between him and his defender, but also possesses a high release point on his shot to compliment the already beautiful arc he puts on it. Certain drills here worked on moving off the ball and utilizing screens, and this appeared to be a part of his game where he’ll have success in the NBA almost right off the bat. This also appeared to be something that was more difficult to evaluate in him in college due to the shorter 3-point line and lack of spacing that (school) at times suffered from. The NBA 3-point line is four feet further back than the college line, and this is a part of the floor in which his strengths will be better utilized because of the sheer ease in which he can get his shot off.

When attacking the basket, his long strides allow him to get to the hoop from the 3-point line off of one short dribble. He showed quite a bit of craftiness getting his shot off in many different ways, particularly with a sweet-looking jump-hook shot that we probably didn’t see enough of at (college). When focused on attacking the basket and finishing strong, he was virtually unstoppable, as his length and explosiveness almost make things unfair on the player who is guarding him. Things just come that easy for him. Defensively, he was extremely disruptive at times thanks to his wingspan and outstanding lateral quickness. As he matures physically and gains more experience, he is likely to develop into an absolute terror on this end of the floor.

The biggest revelation to come out of this workout revolved around his mental toughness and intensity. he has been described at times as being a soft player, but that certainly did not look to be the case in this workout. He was highly competitive almost throughout and was visibly displeased by every shot he missed. His work ethic seemed top-notch, and it was impossible not to notice the kind of excellent shape he was in. Talking to him and watching him play, it’s obvious that the intense criticism he’s received over the past season has forced him to develop a bit of a chip on his shoulder, and he seems to be all the more motivated now to prove his doubters wrong. He might never be as good as people want him to be because of the fact that he looks like such a stud and there always seems to be something more that he might be able to do, but that’s not really his fault.

In terms of negatives, there were definitely some that came out due to the extremely intense nature of this workout. In the ball-handling drills and one on one, it became evident that he will have to work much harder on this part of his game than most 6-6 or 6-7 wing players do due to his freakishly long wingspan. It’s just that much more difficult for a player with his size and length to have complete control over the ball from when the ball hits the floor and bounces back into his hand, due the sheer physics involved. This is something he’ll have to continue to work hard on.

In terms of creating his own shot, he is yet to truly master the art of establishing separation from defenders with change of speeds and directions, hesitation moves, jab-steps, freeze fakes and other crafty tricks that all veteran shot-creators have and need in their arsenal. He is a bit too upright when driving towards the hoop, and might have some problems taking advantage of smaller defenders until he becomes more flexible in terms of getting his body low to the ground as he slashes his way towards the basket. This certain reluctance to expose the ball causes him to settle for jump-shots more than you’d like to see a player with his physical gifts do. His release point and therefore his overall shooting accuracy is still a bit inconsistent since he has a tendency at times to snap his hand violently on the follow through, but this is something that can easily be tweaked once he gets into training camp.

When he did take the ball to the basket, he doesn’t always go up that strong, which prompted Ravin to encourage him to “play big” and be more of “a mother------,“ but always in a heartening manner and not by depreciating him. When having his buttons pushed correctly, he responded emphatically, making the exact adjustments that he was encouraged to and indeed playing up to his strengths better in the possessions that followed.

All in all this was an excellent setting to evaluate his strengths and weaknesses. The things he does well on the court are clearly the type of virtues that are innate and cannot be taught, while the things he doesn’t do particularly well at this point generally seem to be weaknesses that can be worked on and he should improve upon as he matures and adds more polish to his game. The biggest question is, how soon will the lightbulb come on?

He would be best served landing on a team like Charlotte, Toronto or Minnesota who will not ask him to be their go-to player right off the bat. It’s obvious that his potential is absolutely off the charts, but at the same time the team that drafts him will need to be patient and realize that he is still only 19 years. It’s been our opinion all year that if he focuses on playing a role similar to the one Shawn Marion plays in Phoenix as opposed to trying to be a Tracy McGrady type offensive player, he will find greater success in the league sooner and potentially become an all-star down the road.

His first private NBA workout is scheduled for May 31st for the team that might fit him best, the Charlotte Bobcats. According to what we were told, he will not be taking the Gerald Green route and will be playing competitively against the top players who are willing to match up with him. He still has his heart set on going #1 in the draft, and is quietly looking forward to proving those who’ve doubted him along the way wrong.

Not only can Barnes separate at will (a student of Michael Jordan, he employs both a fade-away and a step-back jumper), but the stratospheric arc, quick-draw release, and forearm strength - that allows him to get his shot off while contested - are all characteristics that any scout would find impressive.

Barnes has also been touted as a potential closer who loves taking the big shot; something this team has lacked since March 13th.

Beast Mode wrote:Barnes just needs to work on his handles and we'll be straight. We are a team full of jumpshooters and need an attacker.

If I remember correctly you wanted Barnes before his 1st year at UNC. Welcome back; where the fuk you been?

Anyway, I just finished watching the introductory press conference and all three of our draft selection (excluding our 4 overall selection) are very well spoken and mature. We haven't had that many character issues in the past but it's good to see that it won't be an issue in the future.

And yes, I think the area this team is going to need improvement in is points in the paint. Don't think any of our perimeter players have a knack of attacking the basket. Curry is a perimeter player. Jenkins likes that shot on top of the key. Thompson is a shooter. Rush can fill it up behind the arc; RJ and Wright is the same way. I think it's safe to say we're going to be the best shooting team in the nba. But those nights where the shots don't fall down are going to be ugly.

Two things need to happen to kind of help counter-act that deficiency. Lee and Bogut have to improve their back to the basket game enough to the point where they're consistently getting double teamed so that when they do, they can kick it out to one of our shooters. It could be the other way around too where teams are going to send less double teams because they know we can knock it down, and that's where it'll help Bogut and Lee but in this case they have to be able to take advantage of 1 on 1 post situations.

The second thing is our wing players need to work on attacking the basket. Rush started to show he can attack and finish around the basket towards the 2nd half of last season. Klay attempted to attack more but got called for al lot of charges. Curry can use his wits to finish around the basket, but we need to see more of it. All of our wing players have to work on putting the ball on the floor and try to take advantage of our free throw shooting.

You're not wrong. Along with Ellis, so too did our entire slashing, driving, and attacking game vanish after the trade with Milwauke - at least, as far as our backcourt is concerned. In my opinion, Ellis was already beginning to lose his fire for the drive anyway, frustrated by a lack of calls that is all-too-common for Warrior players that get clubbed en route to the cup. Nevertheless, the need for a dribble-drive penetrator is absolutely real. Curry can be that guy in short spurts, but his lack of explosiveness or lateral quickness means he must beat his man by way of a clever fundamental move; a technique that is effective when it works, but far from a go-to strategy. Aside from that, the Warriors are pretty much comprised of stationary ball players.

Rush and Wright both work - almost exclusively - out of the pump fake. McGuire always looks to pass. Thompson and Barnes are both big-bodied for their assignments and won't be breaking anybody off anytime soon. Resigning Nate Robinson could help, but its more likely the Warriors will take their chances with Jenkins; whose penetrative skills are improving, but - to nitpick with my humble, often overbearing opinion - CJ gets a bit of tunnel vision when he puts his head down and bowls through the lane.

Indeed, the need for post play to inspire honor amongst defenses towards our shooters will be paramount this season. David Lee's broad shoulders now have the entire Warriors offense resting atop them, as Bogut won't be much as much help, offensively, as people are anticipating.

Curry can't break anyone down and get into the lane, but he does play pick and roll great, and uses screens to get in the lane. Once in the paint, he can tear defense appart with fakes, tear drops (best tear drop I have seen), or dishing it to someone who is open. Sometimes his passes get crazy though.... but he just needs more experience and the TO will go down. Let's hope his ankle holds up.

Bogut always drew the double team at the Bucks. That may not happen as much now that he has Lee beside him but he is one of the best passing big men in the league and he now has plenty of targets to pass to. It should be good to watch.

Ringo wrote:Bogut always drew the double team at the Bucks. That may not happen as much now that he has Lee beside him but he is one of the best passing big men in the league and he now has plenty of targets to pass to. It should be good to watch.

Well, don't get me wrong. I wasn't saying that Bogut couldn't draw double teams; I was merely pointing out that his passive nature (12.7 PPG) leads one to believe that David Lee will be drawing the lion's share of the coverage inside. That's not to take anything away from Bogut, whose a physical force anywhere near the bucket. I was just acknowledging that the scoring punch most fans anticipate will be much lighter than expected. Yes, he's a mammouth upgrade - offensively - from the Kwame Brown, Andris Biedrins, Epke Udoh platoon we saw a year ago. But don't expect Bogut to leave half the games with more than 10 points, as opposed to Lee who should hover around the 19 point margin.

Bogut (outside of putting an enormous body on the opposing ogres) will be best utilized in a high-elbow setting where his passing savvy can keep defenses honest. Bogut is the kind of big guy who finds backdoor cutters like a radar and cuts through multiple-coverage NOT to slam it down himself, but constantly finding the open man wherever he is on the floor.

GSW Hoops Fan wrote:Curry can't break anyone down and get into the lane, but he does play pick and roll great, and uses screens to get in the lane. Once in the paint, he can tear defense appart with fakes, tear drops (best tear drop I have seen), or dishing it to someone who is open. Sometimes his passes get crazy though.... but he just needs more experience and the TO will go down. Let's hope his ankle holds up.

Precisely. I think his worst guilty pleasure has to be that zippy one-handed bounce pass he swings at the top of the arc. Very lazy... and half the time, it's picked off for a quick bucket the other way.

You're spot-on in your analysis of Curry's crafiness. His limitations, offensively, are seemingly a byproduct of his body not working as fast as his head. He's a brilliant player and if he were blessed with the body of, say, Russell Westbrook, he would be the GOAT.

Sorry 32. I didn't mean to sound like I was disagreeing with you. What I was trying to say was when Bogut was at the Bucks, he had no help in the post so the defenders could double team him whereas at the Warriors he'll have the pleasure of working beside Lee who is an offensive threat. And with Thomson and Barnes moving around off the ball, there should be no shortage of open targets to make easy baskets. The only problem I find with Bogut(if you can call it a problem) is that he is too unselfish. Sometimes I'd rather him use his post moves and take it strong to the hoop for a high percentage shot instead of passing it out for shooters all the time. I guess his offensive game will depend on the recovery of his right arm. The good thing with his ankle injury was that he had another season to work on getting the strength and movement back in his arm.

Also, considering this is a Harrison Barnes thread and I haven't said it previously, I'd like to mention that I'm stoked about the Warriors getting Barnes. I think that he's going to develop into one of the elite scorers in the league and will be an All Star in a few seasons. I still can't believe that we got him at 7. I was also keen on Drummond but as others have said, Barnes was the BPA and he filled a positional need for the team. Win win.

Beast Mode wrote:Barnes just needs to work on his handles and we'll be straight. We are a team full of jumpshooters and need an attacker.

If I remember correctly you wanted Barnes before his 1st year at UNC. Welcome back; where the fuk you been?

Anyway, I just finished watching the introductory press conference and all three of our draft selection (excluding our 4 overall selection) are very well spoken and mature. We haven't had that many character issues in the past but it's good to see that it won't be an issue in the future.

And yes, I think the area this team is going to need improvement in is points in the paint. Don't think any of our perimeter players have a knack of attacking the basket. Curry is a perimeter player. Jenkins likes that shot on top of the key. Thompson is a shooter. Rush can fill it up behind the arc; RJ and Wright is the same way. I think it's safe to say we're going to be the best shooting team in the nba. But those nights where the shots don't fall down are going to be ugly.

Two things need to happen to kind of help counter-act that deficiency. Lee and Bogut have to improve their back to the basket game enough to the point where they're consistently getting double teamed so that when they do, they can kick it out to one of our shooters. It could be the other way around too where teams are going to send less double teams because they know we can knock it down, and that's where it'll help Bogut and Lee but in this case they have to be able to take advantage of 1 on 1 post situations.

The second thing is our wing players need to work on attacking the basket. Rush started to show he can attack and finish around the basket towards the 2nd half of last season. Klay attempted to attack more but got called for al lot of charges. Curry can use his wits to finish around the basket, but we need to see more of it. All of our wing players have to work on putting the ball on the floor and try to take advantage of our free throw shooting.

Both of these things will help keep defenses honest and predictable.

You know, I'm real happy the team got Barnes, but the truth really is that he is not a great fit, just a good fit. He is on a cheap rookie contract, that's what makes him real good right now, as he fills the need at SF.

Barnes shoots and scores well, has good post game and defends relatively well, but what the team needed as an ideal SF, was someone who handles the ball well and creates by taking it to the basket real well, and also defended real well. Barnes adds many good things and as some have said, he could well be one of the best scorers in the nba in some four or five years and that is always a plus. He has to improve his handles at least a bit and has to show that he is a good defender as that will be what makes the team a real good one.

To be honest, right now, as in today without seeing how Barnes performs against nba players and how the whole team performs together, I want a player that has the skills of playmaking and defending, as well as still being able to score well. I would trade Barnes and RJ for Iguodala, who unfortunately isn't scoring like he used to and that concerns me. As I said, it's because of playmaking and very good defending, as well as still scoring well. Best thing though, to me at least, would be to trade Klay and RJ or AB for Iguodala, heck, even Deng. Not saying the current roster doesn't look good, it does, it's just the lack of a penetrator and slasher could be a real problem in just a few games a year. The shots have to be falling, but if there was a penetrator and slashing creator, that'd open things up real well.

Not a big issue I think, just one that might become one. Still happy with the roster right now.

There is always the perfect fit, but reality is the 2nd, 3rd option is not bad either, look at it this way, yes some wanted Iggy(me), J-Smoove, Gay, but the reality is they are not here, but we have that potential in Barnes at a rookie salary as well. Barnes will have to prove himself, and I believe he has the work ethic to tighten what is needed, whether it be his handles, his driving/slashing ability, the kid is 20 years, but I believe he is the most NBA ready player next to Thomas Robinson.

At 6'8 with the length and skill he is not a tweener, he will put it together, plus with the attention on Bogut, Curry, Lee Klay it will only open the floor for him.

This coming season, play calling will be one of the most important aspect of the game, the rotation of the ball, players coming of screens, the inside outside game. This team has to be precise, not like teams of the past when all they did was run people out the gym. This team will be top 10 in 3 pointer shooting and percentage, just because of the make up. I expect the massive double teams on Bogut, which in turn will have Curry/Klay/Rush/Wright/Barnes wide open to bust 3's like fireworks in the hood.

Just watched Barnes on NBA TV, he spoke about his weaknesses one that i remembered that he mentioned was his ball handling. Knowing a weakness is the first step to greatness, because that awareness will get improved upon with the proper type of practicing.